This was a performance full of bravery, adventure and energy, and it all came from Maresca’s game plan. It even had Flick purring, as he said: “Chelsea played more with the body, were more dynamic in one-v-one situations. That’s what I want from my team.”
Just as Maresca had pushed Enzo Fernández further up the pitch to press high and arrive in the penalty area in the Club World Cup victory over PSG, he did so again against Barcelona with similar results. Flick’s team could not get out with the Argentine breathing down their necks.
The summer victory over PSG – the Champions League holders – was written off by some, who believed that fatigue played a part for the Frenchmen. But it has become increasingly clear it was no fluke for Maresca and Chelsea.
The wheels might have fallen off Liverpool’s Premier League title defence, but Maresca got the better of Slot early last month and his late, brave introduction of Estêvão won the match for Chelsea.
Maresca’s handling of Estêvão so far has been exemplary. Not thrown in too quickly, not held back too long. He was ready to shine against Barcelona because of the way the Chelsea head coach had prepared him for his big moment, dipping the teenager in and out at the right times.
Just as Maresca picked his moment to perfection with Estêvão against Liverpool, he threw on Delap right on time against Barcelona. The striker had looked short of confidence against Burnley and a goal off the substitutes’ bench in the Champions League, his first since the Club World Cup, will have done wonders for him.
This is not to say Maresca has been perfect and the yellow card he received for screaming at referee Slavko Vincic on Tuesday showed an area where he could still improve and perhaps mature. He was also booked against Bayern Munich, which means one more yellow card in the competition will earn him a touchline suspension.
But tactically, Maresca is showing that he is among the best and is very much at home pitting his wits against the superstar managers in the Champions League in his first season coaching in Europe’s top competition.
Only Wolverhampton Wanderers have rotated more in the Premier League than Chelsea, but Maresca is getting it right more often than not. Estêvão and Garnacho were fresh to tear apart Barcelona after being rested at Burnley. Wesley Fofana returned to the defence to help stop their opponents scoring for the first time in 25 Champions League games.
Fofana said: “We stuck to the plan the manager explained to us. We just follow the manager’s instructions because we trust him. We know Barcelona play very high, so we tried to play with this in mind.”
